Fuel Injector cleaners

I recently thought I needed to run a bottle of fuel injector cleaner through the fuel system, so I went to the local Walmart to pick up a bottle. The choices were numerous, even various kinds from the same manufacturer. Prices ranged from $1.00 to $10.00. Synthetic and normal. So how does the average Joe know what to buy? Is more expensive normally better?Is one wellknown manfacturer's product any better better than another wellknown manufacturer's product when there is a price difference (i.e. STP at $2.50 versus Prestone at $3.50)? Is synthetic any better than normal (I thought they were all just chemicals)? Tiger

Reply to
tiger x
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Reply to
Mike Walsh

Little Secret Number One: They're all synthetic, in that they're synthesized by various chemical companies. The ones that say "Synthetic!" on the label do so because it justifies, in many consumers' minds, a higher price tag.

He doesn't. That's why there are so many products on the market, most of which do nothing at all.

Little Secret Number Two: If it does not say "BG 44K", "Chevron Techron" or "Redline SI-1" on the label, it is a waste of your time and money.

DS

Reply to
Daniel J. Stern

Reply to
George

There are a wide variety of chemicals in such cleaners ranging from what I suspect is little more than mineral spirits to some pretty strong things. Some additionally have a chemical (methanol is popular) that grabs hold of water in the fuel and carries it along to the engine in a form that won't get into trouble.

I'm not sure what the difference is between fuel-injector and carburetor cleaner, especially at typical dilutions of a pint or less in 10-20 gallons of gas.

I put in a can of B-12 Chemtool, one of the more vigorous ones and also not terribly expensive, a couple of times a year -- after an extended period of commuting unrelieved by highway travel, or if engine performance degrades suddenly upon refueling (indicating bad gas). That's also the brand of spray carb cleaner that I use.

Excessive use of the stronger kinds is said by some to entail a risk of leaving deposits on your plug insulators. Also, hold a rag at the ready so they don't get on your paint.

Of course, these additives will only serve to take things *off* fuel injectors, not build them up. If the problem is a worn or damaged injector, it'll still be a worn or damaged injector, just cleaner -- a change that might help some but won't make it like new again.

Note that these days most name-brand gas has some kind of additives in it to keep things cleaner, modern computer-controlled cars are less likely to go into an over-rich condition (though if the engine is worn, oil fouling is still possible), and modern ignitions are much more able to blast through a slightly fouled plug.

If your desire for a cleaner is triggered by some dubious gas, consider changing your fuel filter(s) after exorcising the stuff, too.

Cheers,

--Joe

Reply to
Ad absurdum per aspera

in our shop we've tried everything. The hands down most effective is BG 44K. You can buy it online at

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Paul
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Reply to
paddington

Reply to
George

My personal recommendation is to just use the cheapest stuff you can find and use it often enough (before the oil change, as mentioned above) to prevent problems. If you let it get too dirty you risk having to use something so strong that it might ruin your oxygen sensor.

Reply to
Childfree Scott

EPA regulations require all unleaded gasoline sold in the US to include an "effective" level of fuel injector cleaners. Buying the "cheap stuff" fuel injector cleaner as a preventitive is probably a waste of money.

From

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: "Required Additive Use

"Because of this relationship between decreased deposits and decreased emissions, all motor gasoline sold in the United States must contain an additive which provides a minimum level of deposit control performance. This requirement was established by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 and became effective in January 1995. A similar requirement has been in effect in California since January 1992. Additive manufacturers are required to obtain EPA certification for their additives. The certification request must include documentation of the additive's effectiveness in specified fuel injector keep-clean and intake valve keep-clean tests and the additive concentration at which this performance is achieved. Certification may be obtained for use nationwide, for use in specific areas of the United States, or for use with particular types of gasoline. Nationwide certification requires using a test gasoline which meets ASTM D 4814, but has a greater tendency to form deposits than the average gasoline.

"Gasoline formulators must add a certified deposit control additive to their gasoline at the certification concentration level or higher. Over some range, higher concentrations often provide improved performance; for instance, changing keep-clean performance to clean-up performance. Historically, some gasoline brands have provided much higher deposit control performance than the certification performance required by the EPA. For competitive reasons, they probably will continue to do so."

Reply to
C. E. White

Read:

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Reply to
Daniel M. Dreifus

If we lived in a perfect world where all fuel was fresh and contaminant free you *might* be right. but the truth is we don't.

I use Red Line SI-1, Schaeffer 131 Neutra (both ester-based) and a a little isopropyl alcohol. Neither product is over-hyped mineral spirits or cheap alcohol in a flashy bottle.

I never use any product with Methanol.

Schaeffer 131:

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(links to Red Line data already provided)

--- Bror Jace

Reply to
Bror Jace

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